Legat-designed center earns industry awards

CRYSTAL LAKE – The College of DuPage Homeland Security Education Center in Glen Ellyn, designed by Legat Architects in Crystal Lake, has received two major awards in architecture/construction.

The facility received “Best Higher Education/Research Project” from Engineering News-Record Midwest, and “Project of the Year – New Construction/Suburbs” category from Construction Service Industry Organization.

A design and construction news service, ENR Midwest's annual Best Projects program recognizes outstanding design and construction in a variety of categories in Midwestern states.

This year, the panel of design and construction professionals reviewed more than 130 entries for the competition. Panelists selected winning projects on the basis of design and construction quality, innovation, safety and the ability of their project teams to overcome unique challenges.

CISCO's annual competition recognizes top-quality union construction projects based on design, quality of construction, safety record and impact on the surrounding community. The Homeland Security Education Center received top honors in the New Construction/Suburbs category, which covers the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake and McHenry.

“The facility has put the College of DuPage on an international platform in terms of homeland security education. It enhances the skills of first responders, and offers its community a symbol of strength and dedication to regional and national safety,” said Jeffrey Sronkoski, principal-in-charge of higher education at Legat Architects

The first facility of its kind in the Midwest, the 66,000-square-foot Homeland Security Education Center is an epicenter for multi-jurisdictional training. It is designed to prepare firefighters, police personnel and other first responders for international and domestic terrorist acts, as well as man-made and natural disasters.

The facility includes a full-scale indoor street scene for force-on-force exercises, forensics and cybercrimes labs, a command center designed to instruct National Incident Management System protocols, a smoke room with moveable walls for EMS/fire rescue simulations, an auditorium that doubles as a mock courtroom, an outdoor scaling and rappelling tower, and a 9-1-1 tragedy memorial featuring a 1,000-pound I-beam from a fallen World Trade Center Tower.